The Well-Appointed Desk

Notebook Review: Mark’s Inc. EDiT B7 Grid Notebook (320pp)

While attending the DC Pen Show, I had an opportunity to participate in a survey at the Pilot USA table. The tam at Pilot was asking attendees to compare to types of paper using various pens and asked a series of questions as to why we preferred one over the other. Upon completing the survey and giving the team my preference, I was given a small notebook with the paper I liked best as a thanks for participating.

Tiny pocket in the back cover. Not sure what might fit in there? Tiny sticker?

Writech 2-color gel pen in the pen loop on the back cover of the notebook. Need to find a shorter pen for more portability!

The Paper:

The paper I preferred was the Mark’s EDiT and the notebook I received was a petite B7 semi size (70x120mm) with 320 pages and 5mm grid. The notebook includes a clear plastic cover with a slide zip pocket on the front to tuck business cards, stickers or other ephemera and protect the pocket-sized notebook.

The paper is warm white and thin and incredibly good with fountain pens. I found it a little smoother than your average Tomoe River 52gsm but at least as thin as Midori MD, maybe thinner. The only information I could find about the paper describes it as “original planner paper ‘NEO AGENDA for EDiT’, 52.3gsm”.

The paper is very reminiscent of Tomoe River, it’s lightweight, thin and takes fountain pen ink very well. I did not dump gallons of ink on the paper so I don’t know if there would be a lot of bleed or showthrough if you chose to use a book like this for ink testing or sampling. For general writing and note-taking, it performed above expectations with minor show through as would be expected for paper this thin but no actual bleed through and no feathering with any of the pens and ink I tried.

I did not see any sheening but I was not testing any inks that sheen particularly so I need to go back and check for that specifically. Because of the tiny form factor, it was hard to think of this tiny book as an ink testing tool so I forgot to try it — you know, for science.

The Notebook itself:

Regarding this specific size and format– the B7 semi-size notebook with the plastic protective cover — I discovered over the weeks testing it that I really liked the form factor. While I have not added anything in the zip pouch cover, I suspect that it will be a great place to tuck a sticker, business card or little bits of ephemera. Because this little notebook has 320 pages, it can be used for some time so I think the plastic cover will keep the paperboard cover from disintegrating in the bottom of my pocket, bag or glovebox.

The notebook features a stitched binding covered with book binding tape for stability without added bulk so the notebook will easily lay flat. The printed grid is 5mm and light enough to use with a range of nib widths and ink colors without being distracting. There is a solid line about 7-8mm in from the top and side to create a place for a date or title at the top and a checklist or number down the side.

Notebook without the cover. Simple kraft covers with yellow book tape on the spine covering the stitching.

The Tiny Notebook Revolution

I don’t often use notebooks so small they fit in the palm of my hand but, as an alternative to grabbing my phone, this is a great solution. I’ve been wanting to reduce my online time and I am really thinking that this little B7 semi-size notebook is my gateway.

It has changed my thinking about some notetaking. I have started carrying this teeny tiny notebook with a pen loop (simple gel pen in the loop) around with my wallet and/or phone and it has been a great way to have that tactile experience of grabbing something to “browse” without doom scrolling. Instead of logging into Instagram, I am pulling this EDiT notebook out and brainstorming, writing lists and reminders instead. I am carrying it with me at all times to write things down that I want to remember or look up later. So instead of immediately grabbing my phone to look up who starred in some movie I saw 10 years ago, I write it down. Maybe I look it up later, maybe I don’t but I have captured the thought. Isn’t that what bullet journal and “trusted systems” are all about?

Final Thoughts:

When I started to write this review, I was not expecting it to revolutionize my life but I think it did. I don’t think there’s higher praise, do you?

Eventually, I would love to try an A5 or B6 size of the EDiT notebook and really expand the usage since the paper is so lovely. But for now, I am falling in love with this little EDiT B7 semi notebook in ways I hadn’t imagined.

The good news is that starting in 2026 (hopefully), Pilot USA will be distributing Mark’s EDiT to the US market. US distribution will make this delightful paper option easier to get on this side of the pond. At present, I am not finding any shops that are currently carrying the EDiT B7 semi-size notebook so maybe I need to stock it in the shop? Let me know in the comments if you’re interested in trying it out for yourself.

Credit Card sized sticker sheet fits easily in the zip pocket on the front of the plastic cover.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Pilot Pens USA for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Friday Friends

Friday Friends: Mike Antkowiak

AnaOctober 24, 2025October 20, 20251 Comment

I met Mike Antkowiak at the St. Louis Pen Show several years ago and have followed him on Instagram since then.

Mike got his start with fountain pens early in life but didn’t really start using them until he discovered he could combine fountain pens with his love for drawing. Like so many of the people we have featured in Friday Friends so far, Mike has found more ways to use fountain pens and ink other than just writing. His work is inspiring and inspires me to consider other ways to usse and think about my inks.

Many folks may recognize some of Mike’s inky illustrations inspired by the names of the inks, particularly the series he’s created around the Sailor 50 States collection. He’s also created illustrations for the entire Sailor Studio line, Bungbox Tokyo metro series and the Pelikan Edelstein line.

He also flexes his creative muscles with 30 Days/30 inks and Inktober challenges.

His work has become so well-known among the pen community that he’s even done commission illustrations for Amarillo Stationery and Greg Hardy to name a few.

Mike even manages to make everyday ink swatching look amazing.

When Mike’s not filling his notebooks with inky illustrations, he is an architect in St. Louis and the “unofficial” creative director for the St. Louis Pen Show.

Be sure to follow Mike on Instagram and if you’re ever at the St. Louis Pen Show, stop by the registration table and say hello. Maybe Mike will even let you see one of his sketchbooks up close!

If you know someone we should feature here on Friday Friends (maybe its you?!?!) leave a comment below.

In Pen Review

Pen Review: Uni-ball ZENTO Gel Pen (0.38 mm) – Comparing the Standard & Flow Models

AnaOctober 23, 2025October 23, 20255 Comments

Over the last couple months, I’ve seen such enthusiasm around the new Zento line of Uni-Ball gel pens. They are consistently sold out with massive fervor when they are re-stocked. I wanted to find out what the big deal was about. I decided to try both the standard Uni-ball ZENTO Gel Pen (0.38 mm Cloud Body) ($3.30) and the fancier Uni-ball ZENTO Gel Pen Flow Model (0.38 mm Fluorite Body) ($12.25).

The Zento pen line is available in 0.38mm and 0.5mm and are only sold with black ink. Blue and Red ink refills are available. If you like these pen shapes and styles, many other refills will fit into the pens including Jetstream, Sarasa, Energel and more.

The Standard model features a softly colored ABS plastic upper barrel, with a long rubber grip section for a comfortable hold. On the back end, a spring-loaded wire clip opens wide for attaching the pen to a notebook or textbook.

The Flow model features a softly colored ABS plastic upper barrel, with a long matching metal grip section for two-tone design that adds a touch of elegance to your desk. On the back end, a spring-loaded wire clip in the same shade opens wide for attaching the pen to a notebook or textbook.

The Standard model Zento weight 10gms and the Flow model which features a metal grip section weighs 14gms. I expected there to be a bigger difference in the weights but the clip end on both pens is the same so the extra 3gms in the Flow model is down towards the tip making the balance nice.

Both pens had the same ink and same tip size so the comparison was in how they felt in my hand. TheFlow model has a cool slick metal feeling in my hand. The Standard model had a squishy rubber grip section that felt softer in the hand.

While I enjoyed the weight, I didn’t like the feel of the metal against my hand. The Flow model felt slippery in my hand. I preferred the softer, squishy feel of the Standard model despite the fact that the rubber grip attracts cat hair like crazy.

There are a couple of others models available: Basic and Signature. The Basic model looks similar in available material and tip size to the Standard but offers a slightly smaller, more neutral color range. The Basic model is also the same price as the Standard. The Signature is a metallic body with magnetic cap, not a knock but an actual cap. The Signature is oddly shaped and priced at $38.50 per pen. I’m not sure its worth the extra costs unless you really want or need a capped gel pen.

Overall, I do like the deep, dark black gel ink in the Zento pens but I am not sure its worth springing for the Flow model unless you really prefer metal barrels. You can also test drive the refills for $1.75 each in any pen body you might already own that take the G2/Schmidt/Euro style refill.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: In The Zone

AnaOctober 22, 2025October 22, 20251 Comment

My freelance work has been a little slow this week and so my initial reaction was sheer panic and stress. Then more level heads prevailed. I decided to tackle some of the very long list of Desk projects this week. As a result, I am slowly making progress on new designs for stamps and stickers and I’m getting inspired for more projects. Sometimes, I think just chipping a few things off the to-do list leaves enough room to start thinking about new projects.

Is there anything you need to finalize to move it off your to-do list? Are there little steps you can take today to move that project one step closer to the finish line (Clearly, I’m not sporty because the sport metaphors are all over the place — did I mean end zone, touchdown line, over the net? You understand though, right?)

Huddle up! Make a plan and run those projects into the end zone — or something like that!

Here we are again — at the end of our weekly Link Love. If you love this post or other here on the site, consider joining our Patreon. You’ll help keep this site going plus you get access to our exclusive bi-weekly podcast, printables, exclusive newsletters and more. Your patronage supports this site. Without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In Fountain Pen Review

New to me: Pilot Kakuno Madoromi Series

Laura CameronOctober 21, 2025October 22, 20251 Comment

After my renewed interest in writing with my Pilot Metropolitans, Ana handed me a new Pilot Kakuno from the Madoromi Series ($19) and encouraged me to take it out for a test drive.

Somehow the Pilot Kakuno is a pen that I sort of missed in my fountain pen exploration. I say that because at one point I bought one at a pen show (I think maybe Los Angeles?) and it has sat in my drawer unopened for many years. Suddenly I had a new one to compare it to (spoiler alert: they’re not that different) and I could also compare across Pilots more entry brands.

The Pilot Kakuno is a starter friendly pen, often given to students and the like. It’s lightweight (12g), and is a plastic barreled pen that comes in a variety of colors. Nib sizes are usually somewhat limited (EF, F and M in most models) and are steel nibs, whether they are silver or gold. One of the signature features of Kakunos is the smiley face on the nibs!

The pens write very well, with fairly crisp nibs. The fine is lovely, though a tiny bit fine for my tastes and the medium is right in the sweet spot. Kakunos take proprietary cartridges or converters, but are generally easy to use and clean. The original that I bought was a clear plastic demonstrator, though one of the fun things about early models of Kakunos is they had different colored barrels and caps. The caps are snap on, and are easily postable. They are also a bit indented at the top, making for an easy grasp.

These are slightly larger than pocket pens, but not overly long. They come in at about 5.25″/13cm capped, and just slightly shorter (5″/12.5cm) uncapped.

So let’s talk two other things.

How is the new Madoromi Series different than previous editions?

The Madoromi Series adds a few new pastel shades “inspired by a sleepy sky.” Madoromi in Japanese translates to naps or drowsiness.

The other item of note is that the bodies are made of 85% recycled plastic. I think this is pretty cool!

How do the Kakunos compare to the Metropolitans?

The answer to this one, at least to me, is more of aesthetics and feel. The Metros are aluminum bodied, so they are heaver. Whereas the Kakuno comes in at 12g, the Metros weigh in at closer to 26g. So what kind of weight do you like in your hand? Do you prefer the feel of plastic or metal?

In terms of price points, the older Kakunos are available for $12.50 at JetPens, while the newer Madoromi series are priced at $19. The Metros are slightly more expensive at $25.42.

If we’re talking aesthetics, the Kakuno has a hexagonal barrel shape, while the Metro is more a sleek body tapered at both ends. The Kakuno also has that smiley faced nib!

The bottom line is, I think all of these pens are super fun to use and make it relatively easy to get into the hobby. If you’re price conscious or looking for a fountain pen for a kid/student, I think the Kakuno is a great option. If you’re looking for something a little sleeker, then grab a Metro. Either way, Pilot has you covered!

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided free of charge from JetPens for the purpose of review. Others were purchased with my own funds. Please see the About page for more details.

In Planners & Organizers

GIVEAWAY WINNER: Goby Design Leather Notebook Cover

Laura CameronOctober 20, 2025

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway last week for the Goby Design Leather Notebook Cover. I always wish I had more than one to give away!

Without further ado, the winner is Susan:

Well I’m sorry that this one is Wheat rather than Plum, but if you love it enough, there’s never too many notebook covers right?

Thanks again to Goby Design for the generous giveaway! The winner has already been contacted via email. Thanks for entering!

In Ink Review

Ink Overview: Kuretake Art Nouveau Collection

AnaOctober 20, 2025October 20, 20252 Comments

While attending the Dallas Pen Show I had the opportunity to talk with the rep from Chartpak, the distributor of many popular art and design supplies. He was displaying new products from Kuretake — their fountain pen ink lines including the Art Nouveau series which is inspired by the art nouveau art movement which was in full swing when Kuretake launched on to the art scene back in 1902. There are five ink colors in this collection: Old Rose, Zsolnay Green, Mahogany Brown, Perkin Mauve and Concrete Gray.

At first glance, these inks appear quite dark. The Old Rose looking more like a coppery tone and the Mauve so dark it almost looks black. But stick with me…

It turns out that all five inks are sheening inks reflecting the light with pops of gold, green and red.

In swatches on 68gsm Tomoe River, I added just a hint of water to get a better sense of the underlying tones. These inks are super concentrated and might make great colors to use in painting, brushes and such. Seeing the color potentials, I wanted to push it further.

What I’ve discovered over the past few years is that when you favor fine nibs like I do, inks that might look a little ho-hum in a swatch can come alive when the application is lighter. So, I decided to go ahead and fill some fine nib fountain pens with these inks to see how they performed in more “real world” tests.

The Mahogany Brown, in my Sailor ProColor, is just a tiny bit darker than my tried and true Kaweco Caramel Brown and a great alternative color moving into the darker days of winter.

Old Rose reminds me of a slightly warmer Robert Oster Australian Opal Mauve. Perkin Mauve is a deep regal purple without too much saturation. It’s subtle, regal and sophisticated.

The Concrete Gray is a bit more neutral grey when compared against one of my go-to inks, Diamine Earl Grey which has a bit more blue undertone.

Zsolnay Green is a deep pine-y green. It’s not a color I use much on a daily basis as I tend to prefer more yellow-y greens so I don’t have a lot of immediate comparisons I could make.

Comparisons:

From my swatch search, J. Herbin Cacao du Brsil is probably the closest I could find to Mahogany Brown. Cacao du Brasil doesn’t have any sheen so if you’re looking for a similar shade without sheen, that would be my recommendation.

With Old Rose, it showed the most sheen so I hunted down some of my sheeniest reds: Krishna Brown Pink, Bungubax Matador and J. Herbin Rouge Hematite. Honestly, Old Rose is probably closest to Matador, and considerably cheaper.

My preference for yellow greens was really noticeable when trying to find comparisons for Zsolnay Green. All the dark greens I could find lean more to the yellow green like Epinard, Tokiwa-Matsu and Astorquiza Olive. Astorquiza Olive was probably the closest though Tokiwa-Matsu and Epinard have the similar sort of sheen just a slightly different hue.

The sheen in Perkin Mauve makes the comparisons a little hard to discern on screen. Honestly, Sailor Chu-Shu is probably theclosest, just without the sheen.

With Concrete Grey, I didn’t have a lot of off-black greys that sheen. 3 Oysters Giwa is probably the closest in color just, again, without sheen and if you’re looking for sheeining blacks or greys, my go-to is Kyo-No-Oto Nurebairo which is a dry AF ink but the sheeniest deep blue black I own. I just add a little White Lightning to keep it flowing.

I wasn’t sure where I was going to land with these inks. The initial swatches were so dark but in the end, with some experimenting and trying different things I have ended up really liking the options these Kuretake inks might provide. I am actually planning on using these inks for my November Planner Set-Up which should be posted soon.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Kuretake USA/Chartpak for the purpose of review. To purchase these inks, visit Dromgoole’s. Please see the About page for more details.

The Paper:

The Notebook itself:

The Tiny Notebook Revolution

Final Thoughts:

Pens:

Ink:

Planners, Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things: